lished? Is the study of broad interest or
more specialized? Be realistic in targeting
specific journals.
Did the Manuscript Conform to the Style
of the Journal to which it Had Been
Submitted?Nothing annoys reviewers more
than a sloppy manuscript. If you cannot be
bothered to make sure you write the manu-
script according to the journal style guide, orif you are submitting a manuscript previous-
ly rejected by another journal and did not
make the effort to change the style to that of
the current journal, you are sending a nega-
tive message to the reviewers.
Did the Titleand AbstractCommunicate
the Major Findings Accurately?Once a
paper has been rejected, it is time to critical-
ly evaluate whether you really communicat-
ed your enthusiasm for your own study.
Your letter of response will often outline the
major points of your study better than your
original summary. Rewrite the Abstractwith
this in mind.
Did You Accurately Point Out What Was
Novel in Your Study that Makes it a
Significant Advance over Previous Work?
Often in their desire to be comprehensive,
authors make it sound as if previous studies
have already shown what their study now
shows. It takes care in writing to make clear
what is new about your study.
Did You Accurately Point Out Controls
and Shortcomings of the Observations?Just
as you do not want to understate your study,
you do not want to hype it either, especially
at the cost of ignoring controls and alterna-
tive explanations for the data. The data
should never lie. Interpretations may change.Did You Submit the Work Prematurely?
Rushing into publication means that the
study may not be complete or the manuscript
may not have had the time to pass the “shelf
test.” If you can let the manuscript sit for a
week or so, a fresh view may reveal flaws
that should be changed.
Did You Submit a “Least Publishable
Unit?” The pressure for productivity
(for grant renewal, promotions, etc.) means
that you need to publish with reasonable
frequency. Cutting studies into multiple
manuscripts can be risky. Reviewers still
expect each manuscript to be a complete
study. Short papers are not necessarily
minimal studies.Did You Accurately Cite Previous
Literature?Those who do not know the past
are doomed to repeat it. You need to cite liter-
ature fairly. Exclusive self-citation carries
with it the danger that uncited competitors
may review your manuscript.
Did You Have Colleagues or a Scientific
Editor Read and Critique the Manuscript?
You should send your best effort to journals.
The review process should not be an alterna-
tive to careful writing and editing of your
manuscript.Exclusive self-citation carries
with it the danger that uncited
competitors may review your
manuscript.CHAPTER 4 • WRITING AND PUBLISHING 159Nothing annoys reviewers more
than a sloppy manuscript.The data should never lie.
Interpretations may change.THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY